Things you've been dying to know II (Being a blogger)

Due to the crazy response I had the previous time, on the things you guys have been dying to know about me, (click here if you've yet to read) I decided to come up with a second entry! This round, answering some of your questions on how it's like to be a part-time blogger.

1. Why did you take up blogging? What was the inspiration behind your blog? 

I took up blogging around the age of 11. Back then, it was the period when everyone had a blog, and I just felt like it was "cool" to have one too; which I used to blog about my daily life. It was only until my first hit post, titled "Mothers," which was a post dedicated to my best friend back then who failed to cherish his mother, when I started to take things seriously. I saw how my small group of followers were inspired by that post, and that made me want to continue blogging. I love writing, and my dream has always been to share my views and thoughts with people, and hopefully they can be able to relate and learn from my experiences. 

2. What do you think makes a good blog? 

Interesting and good-quality photographs, content that covers things people want to read about, clear readability, consistency, a unique and organised blog layout. 

3. What is the toughest and most enjoyable part of blogging? 

Toughest - being flamed for being honest, and enduring hate comments. After all, we live in a democratic society which permits the freedom of speech, and the things we say online can easily get us into trouble. Most enjoyable - To know that I have the ability to inspire others. And I like it when my readers come up to me in public and introduce themselves. It's great to make more friends! 

4. How has your status as a well-known blogger influenced your daily life? How do you determine how much to reveal on your blog? 

That's probably one thing I've to worry about most. I've to be at my best performance at all time, because I know people are watching, and I used to feel like I've to put up a front. However, throughout my entire journey in the blogsphere, I started to realise there are people around who appreciates my honesty, and truly love me for who I am. Besides, there will always be haters. I can't please everyone. I'm actually pretty open about the things I say on my blog, I don't see why I've to hide. People will still talk about it, and instead of giving people the chance to fabricate a pack of untrue stories about myself, I think I should speak up for myself. If I don't, who else will? 

5. How do you decide what topics to blog about and how do you keep yourself consistently creative?

I like covering things that teens like myself, can relate to. BGR, Friendship, Fashion or any "hot" topics." I seek for people's opinions, to know what they'd like to read about at times. 

6. What are your thoughts on the recent surge of lifestyle blogs and what should emerging bloggers do to establish credibility? 

I feel that everyone's dying to get popular these days. I've seen so many people who are around the age of 12-14, having their own blog and wanting to share their thoughts. It's not a bad thing, cos that's how I got here today. However, as simple as it sounds, to just have a blog and start writing... Developing a personal identity and being able to sustain in this circle, isn't just a piece of cake. Like how rome isn't a built in a day, success doesn't come overnight. Yes, considering how easily things can get viral today, it's not tough to get yourself known, but quality is what makes people stay. I won't guarantee I'll still be here, a few months from now, but if there's one piece of advice I could give, always stay true to yourself and be original.

You can do what everyone does, but there'll always be this constant pressure laid upon you whenever comparisons are made. So instead of being like everyone else, why not be the one that everyone wants to be?

7. With a constant stream of new bloggers, we imagine it would be extremely hard to stand out amongst the crowd. How long did it take for you to establish your popularity and what do you think sets you apart from the rest of the bloggers? 

I used to question myself what makes me so special from the rest, I used to feel like I'm not good enough. However, someone once told me, "there will always be someone better than you, but not everyone has the ability to do what you do, and there will definitely not be a second you." I'm still not confident enough to say that I'm the cream of the crop, and even though I'm really competitive by nature, I just try to do the best I can and what others do don't really matter to me. It took me about 3 years to build everything I have now. 

8. Many teenagers are insta-addicts. Do you have any photography tips to make your snaps more attractive? 

Good lighting is the key. With the perfect lighting, every picture can work wonders. And never over-filter your pictures. That was what I used to do, but I realise it can make your pictures look bad sometimes. "VSCO's" my current fav app. I purchased all the extra filters.

9. How do you manage to cope with school, your love life and career?

Relationships have never really been my priority ever since I had to juggle both, my studies and work simultaneously. Whatever it is, work has to come first. I've been in and out of several relationships over the years, and it wasn't until my last relationship that I realise how many other things can bring me joy as well. Yes, I've always been the kind of girl who fantasises about meeting her prince charming, and I won't stop that from happening when it comes.

10. Would you quit studying to focus on blogging?

NO. DEFINITE NO. Blogging's just secondary to me. I'm aware that there are many routes to success these days, but education is extremely important to me. Surely, street-smart has its own perks over being book-smart, but I always believe that there isn't such a thing as "too much knowledge." Doing well is easy, but to succeed, you've to be the best and never settle for anything less. I'd certainly take a year or two off to focus on blogging in future, but getting a degree is necessary to me.

Alright, if you've more questions you can always tweet me or email me, and perhaps I'd answer them in my future post!